SideHUD

A production-ready Windows desktop widget that displays real-time system metrics (CPU, GPU, temperatures, FPS, power) in an elegant, frameless panel that docks on the right side of your screen.

Features

• Frameless, transparent widget with rounded corners and subtle shadows
• Always-on-top without stealing focus
• Adaptive theme that extracts colors from your current wallpaper
• Live metrics updated every 500ms:
  • CPU usage % and temperature °C
  • GPU usage % and temperature °C
  • Overall temperature (max of CPU, GPU, motherboard/VRM)
  • FPS (auto-shows when gaming, hidden otherwise)
  • PSU Power or Estimated System Power
• Click-through mode toggle via tray icon
• Multiple sensor sources with automatic fallback:
  • HWiNFO Shared Memory (primary)
  • RTSS Shared Memory (for FPS)
  • NVML (NVIDIA GPU fallback)
  • PerformanceCounter (CPU usage fallback)

Requirements

• Windows 10/11
• .NET 8.0 Runtime
• For best results:
  • HWiNFO64 with Shared Memory enabled (Settings → Safety → Shared Memory Support)
    • Provides CPU/GPU temperatures, usage, and power data
  • RTSS (RivaTuner Statistics Server) for FPS monitoring
    • Required for FPS monitoring: HWiNFO64 can display FPS in its OSD, but the FPS data comes from RTSS shared memory
    • Both HWiNFO64 and RTSS must be running for FPS monitoring to work
    • Download: https://www.guru3d.com/files-details/rtss-rivatuner-statistics-server-download.html
  • NVIDIA GPU with NVML drivers (for fallback GPU monitoring)

Installation

Quick Install (Standalone Executable)

1. Build the application:

   .\publish.ps1

   Or manually:

   dotnet publish -c Release -r win-x64 --self-contained true -p:PublishSingleFile=true -p:IncludeNativeLibrariesForSelfExtract=true

2. Copy the publish folder from bin\Release\net8.0-windows\win-x64\publish\ to your desired installation location (e.g., C:\Program Files\SideHUD)

3. Run SideHUD.exe once - it will automatically register for Windows startup on first run

4. Restart your PC to verify auto-startup works

Development Build

1. Ensure you have .NET 8.0 SDK installed
2. Open a terminal in the project directory
3. Run:

   dotnet restore
   dotnet build
   dotnet run

Note: For detailed installation instructions, see INSTALL.md

Configuration

Edit appsettings.json to customize:

• Opacity: Window opacity (0.0 - 1.0)
• FontSize: Text size in points
• RightMarginPx: Margin from right edge
• TempWarn: Temperature warning threshold (°C)
• TempHot: Temperature hot threshold (°C)
• OverheadWatts: Power overhead for estimated system power
• ThemeMode: "AutoFromWallpaper", "ForceDark", or "ForceLight"
• SaturationBoost: Color saturation boost (0.0 - 1.0)
• TintOpacity: Background tint opacity (0.0 - 1.0)
• UpdateIntervalMs: Sensor update interval in milliseconds

Usage

1. Launch the application
2. The widget appears on the right side of your primary display
3. Right-click the tray icon to access:
   • Toggle Click-through
   • Toggle Always on Top
   • Re-sample Wallpaper Colors
   • Reload Sensors
   • Exit

Notes

• The widget automatically adapts to wallpaper changes
• FPS row only appears when a 3D game is active (RTSS detected)
• Temperature colors: Green (< 70°C), Orange (70-85°C), Red (> 85°C)
• Window does not appear in Alt+Tab
• Click-through mode allows mouse events to pass through to desktop

Troubleshooting

• No sensor data: Ensure HWiNFO64 is running with Shared Memory enabled
  • Open HWiNFO64 → Settings → Safety → Enable "Shared Memory Support"
  • Make sure the Sensors window is open in HWiNFO64
• No FPS: Both HWiNFO64 and RTSS must be running for FPS monitoring
  • HWiNFO64 provides hardware sensor data (CPU/GPU temps, usage, power)
  • RTSS provides FPS data via shared memory
  • HWiNFO64 can display FPS in its OSD, but the FPS data comes from RTSS
  • Make sure RTSS is running and OSD is enabled in RTSS settings
  • Start a game to see FPS values
• GPU data missing: Try enabling HWiNFO or ensure NVIDIA drivers are installed for NVML fallback
• Theme not updating: Use "Re-sample Wallpaper Colors" from tray menu